Ukraine’s Security and Defence Council decides to set up military cabinet of defence

February 19, 2015, 2:45 UTC+3KIEVAlso, he said the Council had endorsed a plan of multinational exercises in 2015. In his words, these drills would involve "NATO countries and Ukraine’ strategic partners

KIEV, February 19. /TASS/. Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council has decided to set up a military cabinet of defence that would report to the Council, the press service of the Ukrainian president said on Thursday.

"The cabinet will be made up of chief of the country’s law enforcement and defence authorities," the press service said.

The proposal to set up such a cabinet came from President Petro Poroshenko, who said the cabinet would be "a small National Security and Defence Council for prompt reaction to challenges.".

Martial law

Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council has approved President Petro Poroshenko’s proposals to amend the country’s legislative act on martial law, the UNN news agency quoted the Council’s secretary, Alexander Turchinov, as saying.

Turchinov said the current legislation on martial law "was passed many years ago and needs to be amended."

Also, he said the Council had endorsed a plan of multinational exercises in 2015. In his words, these drills would involve "NATO countries and Ukraine’ strategic partners."

Ukraine’s President Pyotr Poroshenko on Wednesday proposed the National Security and National Defence Council to amend legislation on martial law.

"A draft of amendments on changing the legal act on martial law has been considered and I think the Council and parliament will support it after a discussion," Poroshenko said. "We must be capable of defending this our country," he said. "The revised law takes account of specificity of a hybrid war that gradually grows over into a full-scale war the one we have had here for the past several months.".